Improvement in clasps for gloves



-A. G. MEAD.

CLASPSIQB. GLOVES. 11017331 Patented June 6,1876.

o Bur ed.

. .29. GiMead.

NJFEI'ERS PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHH, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES P TENT Orrrca ALBERT G. MEAD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT m CLASPS FOR GLOVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,316, dated June 6,1876; application filed May 4, 1876.

To allruhom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT G. MEAD, of

Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, have,

.uses, an essentialand valuable feature in my invention being seen inthe-fact that the clasp,

1 after being secured, is not readily disengaged or accidentallyunfastened.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent,'in Figures 1 and2, plans, and in Fig. 3, a section, of the device. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 areviews of the cup, to be hereinafter explained, which constitutes aportion of the means for confining the clasp to the material.

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 represent the said cup as secured to the clasp, whileFig. 10 is a view of the toothed disk which confines the clasp to thematerial. Fig. 11 is a section showing the completed attachment of theclasp, while Fig. 12 represents in section a modified plan of securingthe clasp.

The device herein explained embraces two portions-a clasp, A, and abutton or catch, B. The former consists, first, of a general portion, b,in the formot' a yoke or inclosure to receive the button or catch, andenable the latter to be readily inserted into place, while the bottom aof the inclosure b constitutes the point of resistance or support forthe said catch; secondly, the outer end of the claspportion A terminatesin a loop, 0, while, thirdly, the two portions 1) and c are united by anarrow throat, d, which is susceptible of slight lateral distension andcontraction, in order to yield and admit of passage of one portion ofthe button or catch, and close against the latter, to prevent accidentaldetachment or unfastening of the said catch.

The button or catch portion B of the device consists of a spur, e,raised or erected upon a plate, at, the said spur 0 being practically inthe form of a flattened staple, one leg, f, of such staple being broad,to provide a base of resistance to the catch, and the other, f, beingattenuated, to prevent, as before stated, accidental nnfastening of thetwo portions A and B. The plate d, which bears the catch or spur e, issecured in a proper manner to one side of the wrist-opening of a glove,or

to any other garment or article towhich the device is applicable, themeans, herein shown, for efiecting this attachment being a disk placedupon the inside of the globe or other object, and having spurs to extendthrough the material, and through holes in the plate d, such spurs beingflattened down upon the plate.

To'secure the clasp portion A to the material, I prefer to proceed asfollows: I first provide a small circular disk or planchet of metal,which I press into a cup form, as shown. at h, in Fig. 4 of theaccompanying drawings, and I cut in the edge of this cup a notch, i,

. as shown in Fig. 5. I also indent thebottoln of the cup withdepressions a upon each side, as shown in Fig.. 6 of said drawings. Theinner end of the yoke b terminates in an eye, j, which is deposited inthe cup h, the inherent elasticity of the yoke serving to force thesides of the eye j outward in contact with the wall of the cup, as shownin Fig. 7. I next, with a suitable instrument, turn the edges of the cuph inward over upon the eye j, as shown in Fig.8 of the drawings, andthus securely confine such eye withinthe cup, at the same time takingcare to leave portions kk upon opposite sides of the edge of the cupintact, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, (section,) in order toconstitute ears to guide the spurs of the fastening-disk between thewall of the cup and the eye j. The yoke b, with the cup or disk Itattaching to it, as stated, is placed bottom upward upon the material Cof the glove or other article, and is secured thereto by means of a diskwith spurs, as before alluded to, and as shown more particularly in Fig.10 of the drawings, in which the disk is shown at f and the spurs at gg. The spurs g gare pressed through the material and, impinging againstthe ears k,are forced between the eye j and wall of the-cup h, and,entering the depressions a a, are diverted downward below the sides ofthe said eye j, and thence upward and partially about such sides, asshown" in Fig. 11 of the drawings, thus securely attaching the yoke tothe material and concealing the spurs g g from sight, and I would remarkthat the same pressure which forces the said spurs into the positionlast named also flatten the ears k it down upon the material, as shownin said Fig. 11.

I do not confine myself to this method of securing the yoke b to thegarment, as such method may be varied without losiu g sight of severalpoints of novelty in my invention.- I have taken pains to fully describethis plan of securing the yoke, as it is strong and effective, does nottear the material, and produces a very neat and finished appearance, forthe reason that the spurs g g are concealed from sight.

Fig. 12 of the drawings represents another mode of securing the clasp,which consists in forming spurs 1 upon opposite sides of the cup h andpassing these spurs through the material 0 and through a disk, m, uponthe opposite side of the latter, and bending the points of the spursdown upon the said disk m.

One important advantage which attaches to my invention will be seen inthe protection it afi'ords against accidental unfastening of the device,owing to the part f of the spur e resting within the loop 0 of the claspA, and the inherent elasticity of such clasp. I also obtain a swivelingmotion between the clasp and catch, which renders the fastening flexibleand easyto the wearer, while the end loop a aids in u'nfastening ordetaching the two. The natural draft or pull which will in use beexerted upon the clasp A will tend to contract such clasp about thecatch B and cause it to hug the latter closely and securely, rather thanto fall away from it.

My fastening device is susceptible of wide range of application asidefrom a fastening for gloves, and may, with some modification, be adaptedto suspenders, various 1 articles of clothing, and other objects.

I claim- 1. A fastening device for gloves or other articles, consistingof an elastic clasp or yoke and a catch, essentially as hereinexplained, the catch being so formed as to constitute a base ofresistance tothe draft upon the fastening, and as a protection againstaccidental uufastening of the latter, substantially as and for thepurposes stated.

2. The spur or catch 6, as formed upon the plate d, and with the legs ff, one of such legs constituting a means of resistance to the draft uponthe fastening device, and the other serving to prevent accidentalunfastening of the device, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

3. The clasp or yoke A, and the metal cup or planchet iuclosing the baseof the same, in combination with the disk f, having spurs g g forconfining the same to the material,

the purposes stated.

ALBERT G. MEAD.

Witnesses:

M. A. KENT, W. E. BOARDMAN, F. CURTIS.

